Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) sampled in a mass stranding event (MSE) on the Irish coast

Abstract

On 6 November 2010, a mass stranding event (MSE) occurred on Rutland Island, Co Donegal involving 33 long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). While the cause of the stranding remains unknown, the event enabled the collection of a large number of tissue samples for opportunistic quantification of Persistent Organochlorine Pollutants (POP) and from across a spectrum of age-classes, maturity, and sexes. The concentrations of 24 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), 15 Organochlorine Compounds (OCs), 5 Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) and 17 Polychlorinated-dibenzo-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated in blubber samples via lipid extraction and subsequent analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). Concentrations ranged from, 48.03 ng/g lw–46,860.76 ng/g lw for ΣPCBs, 1585.40 ng/g to 558,833.71 ng/g for ΣOCs, 3.24 ng/g lw–134.82 ng/g lw for ΣBFRs and 0.008 ng/g lw–0.0518 ng/g lw for ΣPCDD/Fs. Concentrations of POPs quantified were consistent with those reported in previous studies with the exclusion of organochlorine compounds which were found to have significantly higher total concentrations. With high levels of such legacy pollutants posing potentially severe implications for the health and reproductive abilities of this species and marine mammals, the continual monitoring of POPs concentrations in animals across multiple demographics remains vital.